Missing Vanderbijlpark Man and Pregnant Girlfriend Found Dead, 2 Men and Ex-Girlfriend Arrested for Murder

• The Vanderbijlpark couple who went missing two weeks ago has been found murdered
• Three suspects were arrested for the murder and kidnapping of Giving Makhangeni Mokoena and his pregnant girlfriend Nokuphila Dladla
• Among the suspects arrested is Mokoena's ex-girlfriend who had allegedly been threatening Dlala since finding out about her pregnancy

HEIDELBERG - The two-week search for a missing couple from Vanderbijlpark ended in tragedy after the pair were found dead in an open field in Heidelberg on Friday, 23 December.

Giving Makangeni Mokoena and his pregnant girlfriend Nokuphila Dladla were reported missing on Thursday, 15 December when Mokoena failed to show up at work.

According to News24, Mokoena was last seen on Wednesday, 14 December buying food for the heavily pregnant Dladla. When Mokoena missed his shift the next day a concerned colleague went to go look for him at his house but found no one home.

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An intensive investigation and search lead to the discovery of the bodies on Friday and the arrest of three suspects on Saturday, 24 December.

Among those arrested were Mokoena's ex-girlfriend and two foreign nationals she allegedly hired to kidnap the couple. According to SNL24, the ex-girlfriend had been threatening Dladla since she found out Dladla was pregnant.

The publication reported that the two men claimed that Mokoena's ex-girlfriend paid R3000 for them to kidnap the couple and procure the gun. The men allege that the ex-girlfriend is the one who shot the couple.

The three suspects will appear in the Heidelberg Magistrate's Court on Wednesday, 28 December and face three counts of murder, kidnapping, and house robbery.

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South Africans react to the tragic murder of the Vanderbijlpark couple

South Africans mourned the couple's tragic passing on social media.

Below are some reactions:

@main_mlu commented:

"Ay, the things happening in this country are disturbing."

@Martha_KingM2 mourned:

"We looked for them as a community for 2 full weeks hoping we'd find them kanthe it's chai. RIP bo makhe ."

@bongi1_n complained:

"No man... The lawlessness and lack of urgency about criminality is disgusting."

@Olgah_M added:

"Condolences to the families. This is sad, I could only imagine the pure unborn baby, he/she didn’t deserve to die like this."

Elderly couple kidnapped and taken on joy ride in Cape Town, citizens up in arms over incident

In another story, Briefly News reported that an elderly couple was reeling in shock after being kidnapped at knifepoint while picking flowers on Saturday, 17 December.

A man and woman targeted the pair near Big Bay. The suspects demanded the pair’s possessions, however, the elderly man had left his cell phone at home and said he would give it to them.

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The couple were taken into a vehicle and driven to their complex in Parklands where a security guard noticed suspicious behaviour and started a conversation. According to TimesLIVE, the elderly man screamed for help, but the abductors drove off.

Source: Briefly News